11 October 2017

As part of the Sherbrooke International program, selected Sherbrooke businesses have received direct support for their development outside Québec. Sherbrooke International is proud to encourage and support Sherbrooke businesses to shine internationally. After each of these significant projects, participants are invited to share their experiences through a blog post.

In summer 2017, Sherbrooke company FilSpec, specialized in the development of technical textile yarns, travelled to Mexico, Guatemala, and Germany twice, as well as to the United States for both prospecting missions and trade shows. Dominique Quintal, Vice-President of Sales and Marketing for FilSpec, explained the context and goals of these missions:

Thanks to support from Sherbrooke Innopole’s Sherbrooke International program, from which FilSpec has been benefiting since June 2017, representatives from this manufacturing company have been able to travel around the world to promote the innovative textile yarns it has developed.

A textile company that is making a name for itself

FilSpec, whose main plant is located in Sherbrooke, manufactures technical textile yarns for spinners and weavers, who then create fabrics for various activity sectors (medical, sports, protection, military, etc.). Its major investments in R&D in recent years have enabled the company to make a name for itself and to attract interest from an international clientele. A few months ago, FilSpec opened offices in Mexico and Central America.

From one ocean to another

Among the trade events that FilSpec visited were the Apparel Sourcing Show in Guatemala City in late May, the OutDoor trade show in Friedrichshafen, Germany in mid-June, the Techtextil North America trade show in Chicago at the end of June, the Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt Lake City in late July, and just recently the Eurobike Show in Friedrichshafen, Germany.

While at the start of the year, FilSpec was virtually unknown in Europe, its participation in various trade shows enabled it to establish interesting contacts with prospects keen on the company’s technologies, especially in the performance sports clothing field. A number of FilSpec’s innovations are not currently offered by European companies, resulting in great business opportunities for this company on the old continent. The visits to the United States and South America enabled the team to strengthen the company’s relationships with clients from these parts of the world by meeting them directly and concretely showing them the products offered.

FilSpec had the opportunity to meet product developers, company owners, and users of its finished products, such as protective and medical application clothing (gloves, industrial uniforms, and socks) and sports performance clothing. Overall, these missions will very likely result in the securing of about a dozen new clients.

The Sherbrooke International Program gave FilSpec a significant boost in making its dream to expand internationally become a reality. The Program helped us focus our efforts on trade shows and contacts, in particular by enabling the company to take one more person for demonstrations, which made a big difference on the impacts of an international mission. The funds received also made it possible to have samples on hand, and to sponsor a clothing try-on activity at one of the trade shows, as well as an outdoor outing with potential partners. FilSpec was also able to publicize its presence and to arrange for meetings. All that remains is for FilSpec to pursue the steps undertaken, which will lead to its enhanced success.

>> www.filspec.com

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